News

All posts tagged News

2012: In Review

Published December 31, 2012 by LS Murphy

from Omnium Gatherum MediaWow, I can honestly say 2012 has been an amazing year for me. So many wonderful things have happened. I can only hope that things continue along this path in the upcoming year.

January saw not one, but three of my stories published. “Firestrom” appeared in UnCONventional, an anthology from Spencer Hill Press. “The Tick Tock Heart” appeared in Detritus, an anthology from Omnium Gatherum. “Hypnotized” was part of Dark Moon Digest #6.

In February, J. Taylor Publishing announced that my debut novel, Reaper, would be released in January of 2013. I also embarked on my first editing project with Kate Jonez of Omnium Gatherum. We started Reaper-Cover-planning an anthology, Fortune: Lost and Found, which was released in August.

May brought another contract. My novella, A Reason to Stay, caught the eye of Jeanne de Vita at Calliope, the romance imprint of Musa Publishing. A Reason to Stay released in November.

It’s hard to believe that 2012 could only get better, but it did.

areasontostay-510In June, I signed with literary agent Julia Weber of J.A. Weber Literaturagenter. I’m so happy to be part of Team Weber. Julia’s been amazing and her list will continue to grow.

No way can 2012 get better? Well, it did. In December, J. Taylor Publishing announced that it was open to submissions for the 2013 YA anthology, One More Day, which will feature my story “The 13th Month.”

This year has been amazing. I’m actually sad to see it end. There are so many people in my life that have helped me on this journey. My heart swells with pride at those who have believed in me. My husband and daughter are my lifelines. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am. I love you both more than you can ever know.

2013 starts off with a bang as Reaper releases on January 7th.

Let’s hope that it’s as fruitful as 2012.

Happy New Year, everyone.

 

 

Cover Reveal: Reaper

Published April 30, 2012 by LS Murphy

Holy snickerdoodles! It’s really happening. I’m so excited to share this! I think I’m hyperventilating. :)

REAPER HAS A COVER! SQUEE!!!!!!

AND HERE IT IS AT LAST!!!

Back of the Book:
There’s no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.
She’s supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.
It doesn’t take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does.
Like when she’s reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, who’s returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.
Instead of maintaining her coveted popularity status, Quincy’s goes down like the Titanic.
Maybe … just maybe … that’s okay.
It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isn’t just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincy’s priorities—from who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.

Publisher: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/19

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13504857-reaper

Colby & the TRADE

Published July 28, 2011 by LS Murphy

World Series rings are not won based on a player’s potential. Neither are League championships, Division championships, or even single season games. It’s that simple.

While I appreciate that Colby Rasmus has incredible potential, it was time for him to move on from St. Louis. He wasn’t happy here. He never would be either. A player that asks for a trade two seasons in a row, doesn’t want to play for that team anymore, no matter how much smoke (or money) you blow up their a$$.

People are screaming for LaRussa’s head. People are screaming for Mozeliak to stop catering to LaRussa. So instead of looking at it from a baseball perspective, look at it from a standard employee/employer perspective.

As an employer, you have an employee who doesn’t want to work for your company. He’s not living up to your expectations. You can’t fire him because he hasn’t done anything wrong. The employee just doesn’t fit with the whole of the company.

As an employee, you feel like your boss is always picking on you. Your coworkers are on your rear about how to do this and how to do that. Then you have your father telling you how to do your job as well.

The best solution for all involved is for the employee to move on.

This is what happened when the Cardinals traded Colby Rasmus to Toronto. I wish him well. I hope he lives up to his potential. And I hope he grows some balls and tells his father to butt out of his career. He’s 24 not 14. He can vote, buy booze, and go to as many strip clubs as he wants. Why does he need his father to hold his hand as he figures out his career?

Good Luck, Colby.

Hasta Luego, Borders

Published July 19, 2011 by LS Murphy

Courtesy Windows7Reports.com The news of Borders liquidation isn’t a surprise to those who’ve been following the once mighty stores downfall. That doesn’t make it less depressing.

 Is it because of e-books? Maybe to a degree. Borders had its own e-reader.

 Is it because of Barnes & Noble or Amazon? Maybe, but it can’t be blamed entirely on competition.

 Is it because of the economic downfall? More than likely this is the case. Add that to rapid expansion and general mismanagement and you have the ingredients for disaster.

I, for one, am sad to see Borders go as I frequented the two stores near me quite often. It won’t be the same to walk into a different bookstore. The employees of Borders were always kind and always knew what I was looking for, even if I didn’t.

Goodbye, Borders. You will be missed.

Good News Time

Published July 11, 2011 by LS Murphy

I received some great news this weekend. My short story “Firestorm” has been selected to appear in the upcoming UnCONventional anthology from Spencer Hill Press. Check out the cover art:

UnCONventional will be released in January 2012.

Happy Writing.

Save Del Taco

Published June 24, 2011 by LS Murphy

When word got out that developers planned on tearing down the iconic Del Taco building on South Grand, people took to the Internet to voice their displeasure. Right now, the “Save St. Louis Del Taco” Facebook page is at just over 8,500 followers.

A lot of people are wondering what the big deal is. I’ll tell you.

First, the building is on the National Registry of historic places. It wouldn’t be on the list if it wasn’t unique. It wouldn’t be on the list if there wasn’t some historical significance. Why tear down something that has character? Is it as beautiful as the Fabulous Fox Theater down the street? Nope. But can you really imagine anything else in that spot? Nope. Even when Del Taco closes, as it inevitably will, the building will stand out in its individuality.

Second, people care because they have memories there. As someone who can’t show her daughter where she really went to high school because the building is gone, I can understand the outcry. Students at St. Louis University frequent the taco shop and create memories there. It’s no fun to drive past a location where something used to be and try to recall it. But seeing it as it once was, even under a different incarnation, still holds that memory. And continues to create memories.

This morning on the radio one of my favorite talk show hosts was all for tearing down the building and creating something new. In his opinion, it would give people jobs. Yes, that is true. BUT what about all the abandoned buildings in the area that are falling in on themselves? What about all the empty historical homes that could be refurbished and made beautiful again? There are jobs there too, but he didn’t say anything about that.

Tearing down the building is all about the cold, hard cash. The developers see an opportunity to add more business in one spot, thereby boosting their own income. There isn’t anything wrong with that. That’s what they do. If only they could see the value of history over the value of a buck.

Like so many other people, I hope the building stays. I hope that another restaurant can open up there and continue the late night food craving tradition. And I hope that the developers look at the building for what it is, not what they want to put there.

St. Louis has a rich history. It would be a shame to start tearing it down.

Robbing with Machete?

Published February 22, 2011 by LS Murphy

When I read this story yesterday about a man robbing a 7-11 with a machete, the first thing I thought was Jason Vorhees was on the lose in South St. Louis. I was totally flabbergasted. Who walks into a 7-11 with a freaking machete?

And, to make this even more interesting, the clerk finished his shift!

I’m sorry, but if someone robs me and threatens my life in the process, I’m not going to work the rest of the night. Nope, not going to happen. Probably another reason I don’t work in the convenience store industry and never have.

And this is just another reason why St. Louis gets a bad rep.

Thankfully, we have an awesome baseball team. Go Cards.

 

Just Say “No” to Bullies

Published September 30, 2010 by LS Murphy

Remember when bullies just pushed you in the schoolyard and took your money? Bullying has hit new heights with the internet. Cyber attacks are getting far too common now. Mainly because it’s so easy to do.

The question is: Why don’t these kids understand that this is WRONG?

The most recent victim of the cyber bully was Tyler Clementi, a freshman at Rutgers University. According to news reports, Tyler’s roommate recorded through his web-cam Tyler have a sexual encounter with another boy. Then proceeded to blast it to his friends via iChat.

Now, Tyler is dead. The humiliation sent him over the edge and he leapt from the George Washington Bridge.

Why would anyone do this to another human being? Did the roommate really think it was funny to humiliate Tyler this way? Was there some grudge between the two boys after only one month of college?

We hear about teenagers being cruel to one another and I’m certain some of us have experienced bullying to a certain degree. That doesn’t stop the shock when it goes too far.

What can we do to stop it? Talk to our kids. Explain why this is wrong. Other than that, we have to trust their judgement.

Tyler didn’t deserve this. Nobody does.

Unfortunately, it won’t be the last time we hear about something like this happening.

Illinois Library Debate

Published July 2, 2010 by LS Murphy

Several people are up in arms about Anna Davlantes report regarding the necessity of public libraries. With good reason. But I think that there is no need to worry about your local library. Yet.

First and foremost, Illinois has a serious budget problem. Years of crappy leadership and wasting money have come to this: reporters desperate to get a rise out of the public. And Davlantes succeeded. If this was a serious piece of journalism, Davlantes would have spent more than an hour watching more than one library. Furthermore, if Ms. Davlantes did her research properly, she would be able to attest to what each and every on of those 300 people did while at the library. To quote the test:

“So we decided to check it out. We used an undercover camera to see how many people used the library and what were they doing.

In an hour, we counted about 300 visitors. Most of them were using the free internet. The bookshelves? Not so much.”

Read it again, word for word. They used ONE camera. Apparently that one camera kept track of each one of the 300 people.  Furthermore, we don’t know where that camera was placed. I’m betting it was looking at the computers and not the stacks of books. “Most of them” is another phrase I have a problem with. I want to know how many. Could she not keep track? And how many of the internet users went to the stacks afterwords? We don’t know. And I don’t think Ms. Davlantes does either.

Second, I don’t believe libraries are going away any time soon. But they are changing. Publishing is changing. Electronic readers and electronic books are becoming more popular. Libraries will have to change with the technology. Just like we will.

Finally, the state of Illinois has a serious problem. Just yesterday, minimum wage raised to $8.25 an hour. That’s a dollar higher than the national minimum wage. I’m not going to argue about the  cost of living and earning a livable wage here. My point is that Missouri and Indiana both have minimum wage at $7.25. In other words, jobs can leave the state to save money. Illinois loses out.

Libraries in Illinois may have to accept that budget cuts are on the way. Cutting hours, which in turn would cut payroll would be the first step. And, unfortunately, cutting the number of books that they buy. Ye, that may seem like it defeats the purpose but with interlibrary loans there is no reason why two libraries twenty miles apart both need a copy of the latest Dan Brown book. They can share. And they don’t need multiple copies either. Wait lists may get crazy but if that’s the price to keep my library, so be it.

While Anna Davlantes’ report was poor, there is some merit to the argument about reducing the budget. In a financially sound world, we wouldn’t have to worry about it. Unfortunately, that is not the case now. Everyone, including your favorite librarian, is going to have to make sacrifices. There is no other choice.